Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Tuesday 6 December 2022 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • NHS England is establishing a network of defibrillators and community first responders to save up to 4,000 lives a year by 7 June 2028.
  • Since May 2020, the Government have required all new school builds and refurbishments to have defibrillators installed.
  • The Government are supporting the NHS to train community first responders and increase the number of defibrillators in villages.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Margaret Ferrier SNP
NHS
Context

Cardiac arrests outside of hospital are common, with about 150 people dying daily. Immediate access to a defibrillator is critical, and without one, survival chances drop by 10% per minute.

Question

Immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation doubles or quadruples the chance of surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Defibrillation within three to five minutes dramatically improves the chance of survival. What steps is his Department taking to improve survival rates from sudden cardiac arrest?

Answer from Helen Whately

NHS England is establishing a network of defibrillators and community first responders to save up to 4,000 lives a year by 7 June 2028.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The target date was not provided in the response text.

How: Did Not Provide Specific Measures, No Timeline Mentioned

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Q2 Margaret Ferrier SNP
NHS
Context

Due to supply chain issues, the government's target of supplying 20,000 defibrillators by 2023 might not be achieved. The department is required to install defibrillators in all new school builds since May 2020.

Question

On average, 150 people a day die from sudden cardiac arrest outside hospital. Access to a defibrillator is crucial for survival. Without one, the chance of surviving drops by 10% every minute. I welcome the Government's commitment to rolling out defibrillators across state-funded schools in England and Wales, but I share the concern that, because of significant ongoing supply chain issues, it might not be achieved. Can the Minister explain how the Department is helping to reach the target of supplying 20,000 defibrillators by 2023?

Answer from Helen Whately

Since May 2020, the Government have required all new school builds and refurbishments to have defibrillators installed. The Minister is happy to look into concerns about supply chain issues and will get back to the questioner.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific measures to address supply chain issues were not detailed.

How: Promised To Look Into Concerns, No Concrete Actions Mentioned

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Q3 Edward Leigh Con Gainsborough
NHS Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

In remote areas, there is no prospect of an ambulance arriving within a short time frame in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest. The suggestion was made to use red telephone boxes that are being closed down by BT as locations for installing defibrillators.

Question

Like many of my Lincolnshire constituents, I live in a remote village and in the unlikely event of my having a sudden cardiac arrest—I am sure that would disappoint people—there is no prospect of an ambulance coming within 10, 15 or even 20 minutes. The Government could make themselves really popular in rural areas by having a massive campaign to roll out defibrillators in most villages. For instance, we have a good opportunity to put a defibrillator in all those red telephone boxes that BT are now closing down.

Answer from Helen Whately

My right hon. Friend makes an important point, and this is exactly why work is going on to increase the number of defibrillators across the community, for instance, in villages such as his. Many villages will already have them. We are also supporting the NHS to train community first responders.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No specific initiatives or timeline was provided.

How: Acknowledged Importance But No Concrete Measures

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